Chapter 20: Wiki Journalism

Few technological innovations invite forms of use as distinct from traditional journalistic practice as wikis. Bradshaw examines the emergence of wiki-based citizen journalism in Chapter 20, evaluates its strengths and weaknesses, and proposes a taxonomy of its different forms. Wikis are “blogs 2.0,” he argues, since their technology forces a collaborative practice that transcends the linear communications flow of blogs and discussion forums. Wikis offer a single place for the distributed discussion of blogs to take place, where the community deliberates to reach (ongoing) consensus by making changes to the original text.